


Feather Fall

by baltshake



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Canon, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Reconciliation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 03:29:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11751129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baltshake/pseuds/baltshake
Summary: Even as time goes by, feelings don’t really ever fade away. When Cloud needs them most, even his loved ones who’ve come and gone will return to raise him up.





	Feather Fall

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Day 2 of Clack Week! The prompts were "sun" or "wing" so I decided on the latter. I was always a little bummed out that Zack didn't get at least a bit bigger part in the Advent Children movie so I added an extra scene for him. :D As always, comments and critiques are welcome!!

Man, the planet just wouldn’t give them a break. They couldn’t just live in peace after what had happened and peacefully rebuilt their lives. Maybe they were cursed – not for having done anything wrong in and of themselves but because they had been part of the collective humans who had hurt the planet for so long. 

“You’re watching really intently again,” Aerith commented, tapping a finger lightly to her chin as she watched Zack’s brow constrict. “Maybe you should stop for awhile if you’re going to make faces like that. Did you know your face will get stuck like that if you hold it for a long time?”

That caused Zack to open his eyes and he shot her a pout before physically trying to smooth his brow over with his fingers. “It’s hard not to watch. I’ve been looking out for him for two years now. I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t in trouble. But…”

“But?” Aerith knelt down next to him and smoothed her dress over her legs thoughtfully. “You want to protect him and it’s hard when you’re here and not there.”

Zack nodded and sighed, ruffling the back of his hair in frustration. She was right as always. “If I was down there, I could help take out those remnants with no problem! He’s sick too and he won’t ask for help. When did he get this stubborn?”

Aerith giggled as she saw him starting to pout again and rested her hands on her knees. “He was for awhile when he was pretending to be you. He thought you were so cool and detached. I’m not sure why anyone would think that.”

“Hey!” Zack’s pout grew and he crossed his arms as she laughed at him. It was hard for him to stay irritated when he was being teased like this! Which she knew. Again. 

Falling back onto the ground and spreading his arms wide, he sighed as he laid there and gazed up at the stars above. “Is there really no way I can help him?” he asked after there was quiet between them again. “He’s still young.”

Aerith was silent at this before she laid down next to him too and looked up. “He’s as old as you were when you died,” she murmured. “He’s not the person who followed after you now. He’s grown up. Even if he did lose time in that coma.”

Zack’s brow furrowed at this, pained at that realization. That’s right. They couldn’t age anymore. His time had stopped at 23 and now he’d finally been caught up to. It wasn’t a comfortable thought but he knew it all along. What he’d wanted was for him to keep on living even after everything that had happened. But what if this battle was the end for real this time?

“I think there might be a way,” she said and glanced over at him. “We’ll have to time it right and you’ll have to focus really hard. But I think there might be a chance if you still want to take it.”

Looking her way, Zack nodded without any hesitation and grinned. His eyes were steeled in determination now as he found strength. “Yeah. I’ll do whatever it takes!”

_ _ _

The energy blast was massive. If it struck the ground, there was no telling what destruction it would cause. There was also the fact that Bahamut would be able to keep firing them off and terrorizing Edge until it was ash or Kadaj got what he wanted. Maybe both.

Gritting his teeth, Cloud entered the blast using Tifa’s burst of strength and held his sword at the ready. If he made it out, he’d only have one shot. It was a chance he’d have to take!

The world went white around him and for a moment, he thought that maybe this time he’d died for good. Eyes wide, his lips parted as he saw Aerith appear and reach her hand towards him to take hold. There was no time for him to speak but even as she began to disappear, he heard a soft voice in his mind.

“Ready? One last push.”

Another figure appeared in the space and Cloud felt his throat grow tight with emotion. Something just a touch off-white floated down and brushed his cheek before fluttering away. He could barely see the outline of them but there were definitely two wings stretching out in front of him. And in the middle…

“Zack?”

A smile he knew better than his own shown back and a hand was extended to take his own. It was solid and even through their gloves, he felt the warmth sink into his skin and mend the hope that had been fraying so drastically. 

“You got this.”

Cloud was pulled closer and he felt their foreheads press together. For a second, he thought he could feel a breath against his lips before his hand was squeezed and Zack kissed his forehead. 

He could do this. He could win!

_ _ _

“So he still ended up needing us a bit more than that, huh?” Zack mused but he was smiling as he watched the children dance around Cloud as they were all healed. 

Laughing from her place checking up on a couple children, Aerith nodded. “Well it’s like we said. He needs some extra help sometimes.”

Zack couldn’t help a chuckle of his own as he nodded and watched her stand. “Yeah. We’ll be there when he needs us again.”

Glancing up, he saw Cloud find them and he gave him a bigger smile and a wave. He looked peaceful now and Zack knew as sure as the sun would rise and the birds would sing that Cloud would be alright. And in the times he wasn’t, Zack would be there.

This wasn’t a “goodbye” after all. It was a promise to meet again.


End file.
